EXTRACTED: Daily News Clips 11/20/24

PIPELINE NEWS

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Federal Court to Hear Appeal from Iowa Counties Sued by Summit Over CO2 Pipeline Ordinances

• Pipeline Fighters Hub: Landowners Will Intervene to Argue Rejection of Summit Permit Application at South Dakota PUC

• Press release: Building Pathways for South Dakota’s Future: Summit Carbon Solutions Advances with Statewide Permit Application

• Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Summit Carbon Solutions makes second attempt at carbon pipeline permit in South Dakota

• South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon pipeline company reapplies for South Dakota permit

• Bismarck Tribune: Burleigh County looking to challenge Summit carbon pipeline decision

• WTHI: Vermillion County Commissioners seek declaratory judgment surrounding proposed ordinance change that targets upcoming CO2 pipeline project

• Natural Gas Intelligence: Coastal GasLink Enters Commercial Service With Estimated $14.5B Price Tag

• Charleston Gazette-Mail: Company says Kanawha County gas storage and pipeline project facilities in service

• Public News Service: ‘FracTracker’ maps pipeline effects on Indigenous land

• KLTV: Smith County residents face Atmos Energy construction across property

• Queen City News: Mecklenburg County approves settlement over Colonial Pipeline fuel spill

• Reuters: DT Midstream to buy three natgas pipelines from ONEOK for $1.2 bln

WASHINGTON UPDATES

• E&E News: Republicans cooking up 2025 permitting plan if lame-duck push fails

• InsideEPA: Observers See Slim Odds For Approving Permit Agreement In Lame Duck 

• Politico: Permitting Push 

• E&E News: US climate officials race to ink a deal that Trump could spurn

• E&E News: Granholm: Fate of LNG permits will fall to Trump

• E&E News: Small oil producers ask Trump for NEPA revamp, methane repeal

• Bloomberg: EPA Focus on Carbon Capture Stokes Fight on Clean Air Law Intent

• E&E News: Biden inks billion-dollar climate deals to foil Trump rollbacks

• InsideEPA: Trump’s DOE Pick Highlights Oil Influence In Energy, Environment Agenda 

• The Lever: What Trump’s Energy Secretary Pick Says Behind Closed Doors

• Hart Energy: Harold Hamm: ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Faces Geology Barriers, Even Under Trump

• Guardian: Why Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ pledge may not actually lower US gas prices

• E&E News: Long delayed Biden rule could shake up offshore oil well cleanups

STATE UPDATES

• Louisiana Illuminator: Environmental justice leaders across Louisiana steel themselves for a second Trump term

• Energy Intelligence Group: Enbridge Takes Stake in Louisiana CCS Project

• WRIC: Chesterfield community group files appeal against proposed natural gas plant

• OK Energy Today: Colorado Likely To Be Among States To Fight Trump’s “Drill Baby Drill” Effort 

• KFXL: Nebraska Public Power District study projects major economic impacts from new plant

• KTUL: Local fears grow as oil spill video circulates, questioning water safety

EXTRACTION

• Carbon Herald: EU Approves First Official Certification Framework For Carbon Removals

• Reuters: Canadian regulator orders halt to Sunshine Oilsands operations

• Journal of Petroleum Technology: New Joint Venture Targets US Carbon Sequestration and Enhanced Oil Recovery Projects

• E&E News: Don’t Count On Trees To Stop Global Warming, Scientists Say 

OPINION

• Corridor Business Journal: Editorial: South Dakota pipeline law fails

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: DNR did diligent review of Enbridge Line 5 project. Union workers ready for job.

• Vail Daily: Writers On The Range: Public Land Protectors Are Ready For A Fight 

• Santa Fe New Mexican: Don’t rely just on Permian liquified natural gas for exports

• Heatmap: Biden’s Climate Law Can’t Die. Wall Street Loves It Too Much.

PIPELINE NEWS

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Federal Court to Hear Appeal from Iowa Counties Sued by Summit Over CO2 Pipeline Ordinances
11/18/24

“Landowners impacted by proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines will attend oral arguments before the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Omaha on Wednesday, Nov. 20, where Shelby and Story Counties in Iowa are set to defend the ordinances passed by their elected board members to address concerns and challenges posed to existing and future infrastructure and development should hazardous liquid pipelines be proposed for their communities,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “After hearing from impacted landowners who had been contacted by Summit, as well as concerned community members, local elected officials in Shelby and Story counties in Iowa passed commonsense ordinances in 2022 to ensure carbon dioxide pipelines do not threaten the wellbeing of their communities. The variety of issues addressed by the ordinances include the implementation of minimum setback distances for hazardous liquids pipelines from houses, schools, medical facilities and other places where people and livestock congregate. Summit then sued Story and Shelby counties in federal court, arguing that federal law preempts any state or local regulations on pipelines. Summit also sued Emmet, Kossuth and Palo Alto counties in Iowa over their ordinances, but these lawsuits were paused until the appeals in the federal case with Shelby & Story counties are decided. Most recently, Summit sued Bremer County, which passed its own ordinances in February 2023 & September 2024 — and then notified Summit in October that the company was in noncompliance with its ordinances, along with a threat of fines. Meanwhile, Summit has not taken legal action against other Iowa counties that have passed ordinances, including Butler, Dickinson and Adair. Shelby and Story counties argued at the District Court that their ordinances are lawful and not preempted by federal law. As the U.S. Dept. of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) has stated previously, and reiterated in a Sept. 15, 2023 letter addressed directly to Summit CEO Lee Blank – “the responsibility for siting new carbon dioxide pipelines rests largely with the individual states and counties through which the pipelines will operate and is governed by state and local law.” However, in December 2023, a federal judge in Iowa ruled in favor of Summit, and issued a permanent injunction blocking the Shelby and Story county ordinances. The counties then appealed to the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals, which will hear oral arguments in the case on Wednesday, Nov. 20 at the federal courthouse in Omaha, NE. Impacted Iowa landowners and the Iowa Farmers Union filed an amicus “friend of the court brief” in support of Shelby and Story counties, and are expected to attend Wednesday’s oral arguments. Joining landowners in filing an amicus brief was the Pipeline Safety Trust, which argued that the ordinances are necessary to coalesce federal and state laws and regulations, and that CO2 pipelines pose unique issues that it is appropriate for county ordinances to address.”

Pipeline Fighters Hub: Landowners Will Intervene to Argue Rejection of Summit Permit Application at South Dakota PUC
Mark Hefflinger, 11/19/24

“Landowners impacted by proposed carbon dioxide (CO2) pipelines in South Dakota with the South Dakota Easement Team will apply as intervenors in the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission’s (SD PUC) review, and argue for a second rejection of Summit Carbon Solutions’ permit application for a proposed hazardous CO2 pipeline submitted today,” the Pipeline Fighters Hub reports. “The SD PUC unanimously rejected Summit’s previous permit application, noting a failure to negotiate adequately with landowners and the lawsuits the company filed against over 150 landowners before even obtaining the agency’s permit, as well as the county ordinances that were enacted. Summit also failed to prove to the South Dakota Supreme Court that it qualifies as a “common carrier” under state law, and so the company is not currently empowered with eminent domain authority to seize landowners’ property against their will for the proposed pipeline in the state. The court recently rejected the company’s request for reconsideration of its decision. Summit has not stated in its announcement that it intends to pursue a new route that will not seek to enforce eminent domain against South Dakota landowners, and has disclosed to media that it has only obtained voluntary easements from 60% of landowners on its new route application. Meanwhile, South Dakota voters rejected Referred Law 21 in the November elections, the Summit-backed state bill that would have stripped local control, and blocked the enforcement of ordinances enacted by South Dakota counties. The rejection of Senate Bill 201 by the voters means that Summit is bound by law to obey the terms of the county ordinances. “Dakota Rural Action will continue to fight with directly impacted communities to ensure that no risk or liability is shifted onto the public for the sake of Summit’s investors. The outcome of RL-21 shows that South Dakota trusts local governments to regulate these projects — Summit’s new route will be telling whether they heard the message or not!”, said Chase Jensen, Senior Organizer with Dakota Rural Action. “More press releases and language about Summit’s intentions and desires. If only their alleged intentions match their actions. We have three years of evidence – this company is not fit and certainly not deserving of a hazardous CO2 pipeline through South Dakota. I notice they didn’t say eminent domain was off the table. Same old company, they either don’t learn or don’t care or both,” said Ed Fischbach, landowner in Spink County, South Dakota. “We need to receive detailed County-level maps, but to the extent Summit has failed to respect all related county ordinances and the overwhelming vote of all South Dakotans who loudly and clearly rejected Summit’s attempts to again force a route through South Dakota, the application would be deficient on its face and must be denied,” said Brian Jorde, attorney for landowners with the South Dakota Easement Team, and Omaha-based Domina Law Group. “Public opposition to Summit’s unsound carbon scheme hasn’t wavered – South Dakotans, like thousands of others along Summit’s five-state hazardous carbon pipeline route, recognize that the proposed project threatens the wellbeing of their families and communities without providing any meaningful benefit in return. Continuous attempts to ram the unwanted pipeline through won’t change that,” said Emma Schmit, Pipeline Fighters Director, Bold Alliance.”

Press release: Building Pathways for South Dakota’s Future: Summit Carbon Solutions Advances with Statewide Permit Application
11/19/24

“Summit Carbon Solutions announced today the submission of its permit application to the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission (PUC), marking a major milestone in its effort to develop a transformative infrastructure project that benefits landowners, agriculture, and communities statewide. This filing reflects extensive engagement with South Dakotans to create a pipeline route shaped by direct stakeholder feedback, supporting agriculture and advancing energy innovation. “This project represents a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen South Dakota’s agricultural future while advancing energy innovation,” said Lee Blank, CEO of Summit Carbon Solutions. “By working hand-in-hand with landowners and communities, we’ve developed a project that balances progress with respect for those directly involved. Together, we’re creating a pathway to new markets and lasting economic growth for generations to come.” “…To lead in domestic energy production and support local farmers, we should advance critical infrastructure like the Summit pipeline—driving economic growth and strengthening rural communities around Lake Preston,” said Patrick Gruber, CEO of Gevo. “This pipeline will help unleash homegrown energy solutions and benefit hardworking Americans.” The application also highlights major reroutes in Spink, Brown, McPherson, and Lincoln Counties, along with numerous micro-adjustments, resulting from more than a year of one-on-one work with landowners to find mutually agreeable solutions… “Summit Carbon Solutions plans to begin construction in early 2026, with operations starting in 2027. The company remains committed to working collaboratively with South Dakota landowners and communities to develop a project that strengthens the state’s agricultural legacy while paving the way for energy innovation.”

Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Summit Carbon Solutions makes second attempt at carbon pipeline permit in South Dakota
Dominik Dausch, 11/19/24

“Summit Carbon Solutions is taking a second crack at bringing its carbon pipeline project to the Mount Rushmore state,” the Sioux Falls Argus Leader reports. “…The filed application has not been made available on the state Public Utilities Commission’s website as of 2:30 p.m. Tuesdday. Summit Carbon’s South Dakota route map is also not available on the company’s project footprint page… “The pipeline developer’s first application, filed on Feb. 7, 2022, underwent a rigorous application process that ultimately ended in failure after being unanimously denied by the state Public Utilities Commission on Sept. 11, 2023, according to previous Argus Leader reporting. At the time, one of the predominant barriers to Summit Carbon’s permit came from county commissioners opposed to the project. Numerous counties passed “setback” ordinances — buffer zones to establish the minimum distance a pipeline must maintain from residences and other structures — which the company argued was unduly restrictive, as it would force them to navigate through a patchwork of protected zones… “Josh Haeder, state treasurer and then-acting commissioner for Kristie Fiegen, who disqualified herself due to a conflict of interest, said during Summit Carbon’s final permit hearing that the company was unable to prove it could build its pipeline without preempting local ordinances. Summit Carbon appears to be taking an alternate route in counties where pushback from rural landowners was greatest. The company indicated in its Tuesday press release its second application includes “major reroutes” in Brown, Lincoln, McPherson and Spink counties, “along with numerous micro-adjustments, resulting from more than a year of one-on-one work with landowners to find mutually agreeable solutions.”

South Dakota Searchlight: Carbon pipeline company reapplies for South Dakota permit
Joshua Haiar, 11/19/24

“An Iowa company proposing a carbon dioxide pipeline said it resubmitted its permit application to South Dakota regulators Tuesday with what the company described as “major reroutes,” the South Dakota Searchlight reports. “A new route map was not immediately available from the company or state officials. The move comes more than a year after the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission rejected Summit Carbon Solutions’ initial application. At that time, the commission cited the route’s non-compliance with county laws mandating minimum distances between pipelines and existing features… The company is not allowed to begin construction in Iowa until South Dakota approves a permit… “A Tuesday news release from Summit said the pipeline could also make carbon available for uses including green methanol, water treatment, food processing and dry ice production… “Summit’s website says the pipeline “will not be used for enhanced oil recovery.” Yet during a 2023 permit hearing in Iowa, Summit Chief Operations Officer Jimmy Powell said it’s “a possibility” that Summit could transport CO2 for “another carrier” that might use it for enhanced oil recovery. The project has faced staunch opposition in South Dakota from landowners who don’t want the pipeline crossing their land, and from landowners and others concerned about potential leaks of toxic carbon dioxide plumes… “Ed Fischbach, a pipeline opponent and Aberdeen-area farmer, said the company previously claimed it could not abide by those local laws. “That’s what they were saying under oath,” Fischbach told Searchlight. “It is just more evidence that this company has not been telling the truth. They said, “There’s no way we can make these work, and they’re too restrictive.” “…One of the many organizations that joined in the fight against the law was Dakota Rural Action. Chase Jensen, an organizer with the group, told the Dispatch voters sent a message with their rejection of Referred Law 21. “It shows that South Dakota trusts local governments to regulate these projects,” Jensen told Searchlight. “Summit’s new route will be telling whether they heard the message or not.” “…A further complication for the company is a set of lawsuits in South Dakota challenging Summit’s right to use eminent domain.”

Bismarck Tribune: Burleigh County looking to challenge Summit carbon pipeline decision
Joey Harris, 11/19/24

“The Burleigh County Commission is searching for legal avenues to challenge a recent state permit approval for a major carbon dioxide pipeline set to travel a few miles outside of Bismarck,” the Bismarck Tribune reports. “…Summit has attained leases for about 65% of its proposed route through Burleigh County, which is the lowest level of agreements across the entire state, where Summit has signed contracts for just over 80% of the pipeline’s route. Relations between the County Commission and Summit have been contentious since 2022, when Summit initially proposed a route with the pipeline’s closest points around 2 miles north and 3 miles east of Bismarck’s extraterritorial area — where the city is growing. Burleigh and Emmons counties last year placed restrictions on pipelines carrying hazardous materials within their borders in response to Summit’s project. The company sought to have the PSC declare these ordinances preempted and superseded by state authority. The PSC ultimately sided with Summit. After the PSC issued an initial denial of Summit’s permit last year, the company moved the proposed route to about 5 miles north of the extraterritorial area, though the section of the route to the east of the city remained relatively unchanged… “Burleigh County officials have continued to oppose the project’s location… “The county will need to file an appeal to the decision in court by Dec. 15. Commission Chair Brian Bitner told the Tribune the county is still exploring legal options… “We’re looking for people that either signed easements or declined to sign easements under threat of eminent domain being used,” he told the Tribune… “Three pipeline opponents also vented their frustrations over the PSC’s decision at the Burleigh County Commission’s Monday night meeting. Around 20 other people who opposed the pipeline were also in attendance… “Broadly, Burleigh County commissioners have said their concerns are over potential safety issues associated with the pipeline, though they also regularly express doubts over the need for the project… “After the PSC’s decision last week, some landowners told the Tribune that there will likely be litigation from them too.”

WTHI: Vermillion County Commissioners seek declaratory judgment surrounding proposed ordinance change that targets upcoming CO2 pipeline project
Ben Verbanic, 11/19/24

“A Vermillion County circuit court will be reviewing legal implications of a proposed new county ordinance that would effectively block the proposed CO2 pipeline project championed by Wabash Valley Resources,” WTHI reports. “When they have reviewed the county and state standings, the court will offer what is knows as a “Declaratory Judgement.” This judgement would give county officials clarity about what options they have surrounding the ordinance change, and pipeline project. The main issue that the court will have to decide is if county ordinances can trump Indiana code, specifically surrounding state regulations that pertain to these types of CO2 projects. Simply put, if the state has already provided guidance and regulations, the county may not have legal standing to block the pipeline… “If the county ultimately decides to authorize this updated ordinance, the county could be open to litigation from Wabash Valley Resources. Wabash Valley Resources tells News 10 that they want to continue working with the Vermillion County Commissioners towards a solution, but have also said they are prepared to litigate if need be.”

Natural Gas Intelligence: Coastal GasLink Enters Commercial Service With Estimated $14.5B Price Tag
Jamison Cocklin, 11/17/24

“TC Energy Corp. affiliate Coastal GasLink LP has marked the pipeline system’s launch into commercial service after finalizing an agreement with LNG Canada and other customers,” Natural Gas Intelligence reports. “Coastal GasLink started moving small amounts of natural gas to LNG Canada at the end of August as the export project began to near completion. TC Energy said the commercial in-service agreement for its pipeline would allow it to collect a one-time payment of $199 million for completing the system… “After five years, construction was completed in 2023 for a cost of $14.5 billion, TC Energy said Tuesday. The latest price was more than triple the original estimate.”

Charleston Gazette-Mail: Company says Kanawha County gas storage and pipeline project facilities in service
Mike Tony, 11/20/24

“Facilities comprising an extensive gas storage and pipeline project in Kanawha County have been placed into service, developers told federal regulators Monday,” the Charleston Gazette-Mail reports. “Columbia Gas Transmission LLC on Monday said in a filing with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission that facilities were placed into service on Nov. 8 for its project, which has included new gas storage wells on a new well pad and construction of roughly 600 feet of related pipeline… “The agency noted in its approval letter that Columbia had fully restored project well pad areas and that restoration of the remaining pipeline portion of the project was “proceeding satisfactorily.” FERC approval of the project came in February 2023… “The project was planned within 50 feet of 10 residences.”

Public News Service: ‘FracTracker’ maps pipeline effects on Indigenous land
Mark Moran, 11/20/24

“A nonprofit group that tracks oil and gas development has created an interactive map to show how close CO2 pipelines in Great Plains states come to environmentally and ecologically sensitive areas,” Public News Service reports. “The map includes Indigenous land that hasn’t been included in similar previous projects. Ted Auch, Midwest program director for the FracTracker Alliance, told PNS it focuses on Indigenous areas but goes further, showing in detail how close proposed CO2 pipelines would come to soybean and ethanol facilities, for example, but also to private land… “Auch told PNS the interactive map will give farmers and other landowners near the proposed pipelines what they need to understand what’s happening on their land, leveling the information playing field with corporate interests. “You have these large, multinational corporations, and then on the other side of the ledger are small, medium-sized frontline or Indigenous groups that either have small budgets or no budgets,” Auch told PNS, “and don’t have the capacity, the time, or the expertise to develop maps to inform their organizing activism or advocacy.” The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in Omaha is making a livestream available as it hears oral arguments today in a case involving Iowa landowners affected by CO2 pipeline proposals, some of whom face seizure of their property by eminent domain if the Summit Carbon Solutions project moves forward.”

KLTV: Smith County residents face Atmos Energy construction across property
11/19/24

“Atmos Energy, who has been in the process of putting down natural gas line pipes across East Texas for years now has finally made their way to the middle of one man’s pasture,” KLTV reports. 

Queen City News: Mecklenburg County approves settlement over Colonial Pipeline fuel spill
11/19/24

“Mecklenburg County Commissioners approved a measure on Tuesday night that resulted in a settlement over the historic Colonial Pipeline fuel spill,” Queen City News reports. “The pipeline runs from the Texas Gulf Coast to the New York area and sustained a leak in eastern Huntersville in August 2020. Two teenagers were riding all-terrain vehicles when they discovered the leak. More than 2 million gallons of gasoline and other fuels ended up in the soil. Colonial Pipeline reports having recovered more than 1.8 million gallons. Commissioners voted to enter an Access Agreement for Colonial to complete repairs and remediation at the spill site, which happened to be a Mecklenburg County nature preserve. In return, Colonial plans on acquiring more land to give to the county, the company confirmed with Queen City News on Tuesday… “Additionally, Colonial is also to pay $600,000 concurrently to the county’s Natural Areas Restoration Fund. The sole opposition to the settlement came from Commissioner Elaine Powell who said, in part, “It’s just not enough.” 

Reuters: DT Midstream to buy three natgas pipelines from ONEOK for $1.2 bln
11/19/24

“Pipeline operator DT Midstream said on Tuesday it would acquire three natural gas transmission pipelines from ONEOK for $1.2 billion in cash, boosting its presence in the Midwest market amid rapid consolidation in the U.S. industry,” Reuters reports. “Increased consolidation among oil and gas producers and hurdles in getting new energy infrastructure approved and built have made the U.S. pipeline and storage sector attractive for deals.”

WASHINGTON UPDATES

E&E News: Republicans cooking up 2025 permitting plan if lame-duck push fails
Kelsey Brugger, 11/20/24

“If Republicans aren’t able to cinch a deal with Democrats on permitting overhaul this year, they say that’s OK. They’ll come back next year to do it on their own. And they have an unlikely model for such an effort: Democrats,” E&E News reports. “As they prepare to control Washington, Republicans are looking back to 2021 when Democrats forged what was then “Build Back Better,” the ambitious $3.5 trillion social and climate budget reconciliation package that was ultimately whittled down to the much smaller Inflation Reduction Act. “If you look back at the IRA, the Democrats went way beyond what anybody ever thought you could do in reconciliation,” House Natural Resources Chair Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) told E&E. “They had 12 committees of jurisdiction involved. So we’re studying what they did to get things kosher with the parliamentarian.” “…Observers, however, believe that chances for a year-end deal have sunk significantly since Republicans won an electoral trifecta earlier this month. Westerman is not the only Republican who floated the idea lawmakers could change the nation’s permitting laws next year through budget reconciliation, a legislative procedure borne out of the 1974 Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act… “Alex Herrgott, the former chief of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council under Donald Trump, told E&E the real progress on permitting would occur as the Trump administration cuts bureaucratic gridlock that has driven up the cost of projects… “Democrats are dismissive, pointing to the fact the law limits provisions that are not deemed to be directly related to the budget. It is known as the Byrd Rule after former Senate Majority Leader Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.). “I don’t think they can” do permitting through reconciliation, Rep. Scott Peters told E&E. “I think they would [try] to do it.” Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) agreed, telling E&E: “I don’t know you can do permitting through reconciliation, but I’m not sure the House members have that realization and I’m not sure they are in the mood for bipartisanship.” “…Both Manchin and Barrasso insist they can cinch a deal by the end of the year… “Westerman wants to add a Republican priority to upend NEPA — an idea most Democrats reject… “Specifically, Westerman wants to limit the scope of environmental reviews, restrict litigation and perhaps restrain considerations of climate change in the permit process.”

InsideEPA: Observers See Slim Odds For Approving Permit Agreement In Lame Duck 
11/18/24

“Observers are acknowledging that legislation to streamline permitting for energy projects faces high hurdles in the ongoing lame-duck session of Congress, though they note that late-hour efforts are under way that could still create the conditions for a surprise deal in the coming weeks rather than postponement of permitting efforts to next year,” InsideEPA reports. “The debate over permitting legislation focuses heavily on whether action would occur in the narrow window offered by the lame-duck session, or instead in the next Congress — but the timing of any approval could have implications for the substance of the bill itself. While lawmakers have long said action by the current Congress would have to be along the lines of a Senate proposal that has been pending for months, Republicans could prefer to wait based on the premise that full control of Congress and the White House next year enables additional fossil fuel supports, more streamlining of environmental permitting requirements, and perhaps reduced support for transmission projects considered crucial for integrating clean energy.”

Politico: Permitting Push 
11/19/24

“Permitting reform may just have a glimmer of hope to pass in the lame duck, and the groups pushing for it aren’t going to let the opportunity pass by without a fight,” Politico reports. “Grid Action, the political affiliate to Americans for a Clean Energy Grid, and the Conservative Energy Network are flying in around 50 people this week to meet with more than three dozen Democratic and Republican offices on permitting, including leadership in both chambers. The attendees include representatives from the utility and clean energy industries, transmission developers, labor groups and environmental organizations. The energy security think tank SAFE is also bringing in the big guns to urge passage of the permitting compromise from Sens. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.).”

E&E News: US climate officials race to ink a deal that Trump could spurn
Sara Schonhardt, Zack Colman, 11/20/24

“U.S. diplomats here are stuck in a tricky spot: They’re fighting to implement President Joe Biden’s climate agenda — knowing it could all be smashed with a Trump sledgehammer in two months,” E&E News reports. “President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to unravel climate investments at home and withdraw from the Paris Agreement, the global deal in which every nation on Earth pledged to limit warming. That means the points U.S. officials are negotiating at COP29 — hundreds of billions of dollars in global climate assistance, the rules governing a worldwide carbon market and reaffirming a fossil fuel phasedown — are ones the U.S. likely won’t be working to deliver on. At least for the next four years. Still, Biden remains president, and a steady stream of American officials from agencies in tumult have been seen in the hallways of the conference center. Political appointees will leave the government, while career diplomats face the unknown: working for a president who continues to call climate change a hoax, being reassigned or, potentially, being fired.”

E&E News: Granholm: Fate of LNG permits will fall to Trump
Carlos Anchondo, 11/15/24

“Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the Biden administration will hit a self-imposed deadline to release its long-awaited study on liquefied natural gas exports this year before turning the reins over to President-elect Donald Trump,” E&E News reportras. “Granholm, speaking Friday at the U.N. climate summit in Azerbaijan, said her department is committed to finishing its review of the economic, climate and national security impacts of LNG exports by year’s end, telling reporters the study will “speak for itself.” Trump has pushed for a resumption of gas export approvals, which were halted under President Joe Biden. “Obviously, we won’t be there to implement based upon the study, so we’ll have to see how it’s viewed by the next administration,” Granholm said when asked how the analyses DOE is preparing fit into a Biden administration push to lock in cleaner energy sources.”

E&E News: Small oil producers ask Trump for NEPA revamp, methane repeal
Shelby Webb, 11/20/24

“Small oil and gas producers sent the incoming Trump administration a policy blueprint Tuesday, calling for a repeal of new methane emissions standards and an overhaul of the National Environmental Policy Act,” E&E News reports. “The Independent Petroleum Association of America’s letter — addressed to the Trump transition team — said EPA regulations aren’t flexible enough and that more narrow NEPA reviews are needed. The document from IPAA echoes some aspects of a separate policy road map issued last week by the industry’s largest U.S. trade group, the American Petroleum Institute. But while API members include heavyweights such as Exxon Mobil and Chevron, IPAA touted its report to President-elect Donald Trump’s team as the view of independent oil and gas companies. “We urge the administration to take positive actions to support America’s small oil and natural gas producers and develop a robust energy policy that will unleash American entrepreneurs, expand our economy, and make the United States an energy superpower once again,” said Jeff Eshelman, IPAA’s CEO, in the letter.

Bloomberg: EPA Focus on Carbon Capture Stokes Fight on Clean Air Law Intent
Jennifer Hijazi, 11/20/24

“Federal courts are poised to clarify how far the EPA can push technological innovation at power plants, with arguments set over a Biden administration emissions plan before incoming Trump officials may try to quash the rule for good,” Bloomberg reports. “Carbon capture technology at the center of the rule is drawing fire from all corners of the power sector, raising the question of whether the Clean Air Act that allows the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate facilities is truly meant to force the development of control technology. The Biden administration this spring finalized standards aiming to stem climate pollution from coal-fired power plants as a key part of their push to fight climate change and protect public health. A legal barrage of petitions from industry followed at the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, voicing concerns that the rule would force plant closures. Critics of the rule argue that its reliance on carbon capture and sequestration, or CCS, makes the standards arbitrary and capricious, since the technology is not adequately demonstrated according to Clean Air Act requirements… “The idea of “technology forcing”—a strategy used to drive innovation of control technology—is part of the Clean Air Act, but there are guardrails on that term, according to Holland & Hart LLP partner Emily Schilling. “In the context of carbon capture, every year we move towards broader application of CCUS in industries outside of power plants, that argument becomes I think, more relevant,” Schilling told Bloomberg, referring to carbon capture, utilization, and storage, which makes use of what is captured in the CCS process… “Trump may ask for an abeyance of litigation while he crafts entirely new—probably weaker—carbon rules for utilities. But the litigation is already well through the briefing process and a panel at the D.C. Circuit is set to hear arguments in West Virginia v. EPA on Dec. 6, which could chill an abeyance request.”

E&E News: Biden inks billion-dollar climate deals to foil Trump rollbacks
Benjamin Storrow, Kelsey Tamborrino, Brian Dabbs, Jessie Blaeser, 11/19/24

“One of President Joe Biden’s signature climate initiatives is on the clock. The Department of Energy is racing to close $25 billion in pending loans to businesses building major clean energy projects across the country. The push is one of Biden’s last chances to cement his climate legacy before President-elect Donald Trump takes office next year under the promise of shredding Democratic spending programs,” E&E News reports. “…But it faces an uncertain future under Trump, who as president backed only one project under the program and proposed slashing the office’s budget… “Of the 29 loans and loan guarantees the administration has announced, 16 have yet to be completed. They include $9.2 billion for an EV battery project in Kentucky and Tennessee, a $1.5 billion guarantee for sustainable aviation fuel production in South Dakota, and $1 billion for electric vehicle charging infrastructure nationwide… “The pending loans, some of which were announced almost two years ago, preview a potential fight under Trump: pitting efforts to reduce U.S. dependence on Chinese imports against Republicans’ desire to cut spending. The loans stem from Biden’s wider effort to spur a green building boom to erode China’s clean energy dominance and slash planet-warming pollution… “We are scared about it,” Nalin Gupta, founder and CEO of Wabash Valley Resources, which received a conditional commitment for a nearly $1.6 billion loan guarantee in September to install a carbon capture and sequestration system on an ammonia facility at the site of a former coal plant in Indiana, told E&E… “But Gupta added: “We have been on this journey for eight years, and we just got our conditional approval. We were almost celebrating, but I’ve learned each time I celebrate it lasts for this long before something comes up.”

InsideEPA: Trump’s DOE Pick Highlights Oil Influence In Energy, Environment Agenda 
11/18/24

“President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Chris Wright, the head of oilfield services firm Liberty Energy, to lead the Energy Department (DOE) next year is underscoring what is likely to be the heavy influence of oil and gas interests in shaping the incoming Trump administration’s energy and environment agenda,” InsideEPA reports. “…Trump late Nov. 15 said that Burgum would also be tapped as chairman of a new National Energy Council that would strive toward ‘energy dominance,’ while cutting ‘red tape’ affecting the industry, focusing on innovation and boosting private sector investments in multiple sectors. Wright would also be a member of the council. Wright has critiqued mainstream climate science — primarily by downplaying the severity of various climate-related threats — and he argues that climate ‘mania’ and ‘climate alarmism’ is unfounded.”

The Lever: What Trump’s Energy Secretary Pick Says Behind Closed Doors
Chris Walker, 11/19/24

“Editor’s note: This article was originally published on Aug 31, 2021 “…Chris Wright, CEO of Liberty Oilfield Services, one of Colorado’s largest fracking operationst, however, didn’t want to talk about saving money or embracing corporate sustainability at the new-energy panel. He wanted to hammer home an idea his fracking company put forward in its first ESG report, released earlier this summer: Fossil fuels are helping humanity. “Our goal isn’t to check a box or to meet some goal that someone else says is really important,” Wright told the panel. “It’s what we believe will drive the betterment of human lives.” “And let me divert on that a minute,” he added. “There. Is. No. Climate. Crisis.” Wright paused, and you could feel the electricity in the room… “Wright has a history of provocation. He generated headlines earlier this year when he trolled The North Face with a video and Denver billboard thanking the brand for making its products using petroleum, after the brand refused to fulfill an order of fleece jackets by a Texas oil and gas company… “The energy dialogue getting divorced from reality has massive, massive costs,” he told the room. “One that hits close to home: 20 percent of children report having nightmares about climate change when they go to sleep. I speak in schools all the time; childrens (sic) have way less interest in going into science or technical fields because what they see is: Science is ‘Thou shall adopt the alarmist doctrine or you will be called a denier and shunned.’” One of Wright’s proposed solutions: get more hydrocarbons in the hands of poorer societies.”

Hart Energy: Harold Hamm: ‘Drill, Baby, Drill’ Faces Geology Barriers, Even Under Trump
Chris Mathews, 11/17/24

“President-elect Donald Trump routinely led supporters in chants of ‘drill, baby, drill’ on the campaign trail, promising to free U.S. energy from political and regulatory shackles holding back the industry,” Hart Energy reports. “But wildcatting legend Harold Hamm, executive chairman of Continental Resources and a major Trump donor, told Hart the U.S. faces legitimate challenges to expanding production growth, even under a second Trump presidency. “People think that we’re going to raise [production] 3 [MMbbl/d] to 4 [MMbbl/d],” Hamm said in an interview with Hart Energy. “But in my opinion, from a geologist’s perspective, you’re not going to see that.” A more realistic trajectory would be raising U.S. output between 1 MMbbl/d to 2 MMbbl/d over the next five to six years, driven almost entirely by gains from the Permian Basin, Hamm told Hart… “But future growth prospects for domestic producers aren’t promising. Explorers won’t magically unearth another Permian Basin or Bakken yet to be discovered, Hamm told Hart.”

Guardian: Why Trump’s ‘drill, baby, drill’ pledge may not actually lower US gas prices
Debbie Carlson, 11/19/24

“At the Republican national convention in July, Donald Trump pledged to cut gas prices by boosting domestic oil production. “We will drill, baby, drill,” he declared. Despite the president-elect’s promise, oil and gas companies probably have other ideas,” the Guardian reports. “For the past few years, US energy producers have focused on keeping costs down to stay profitable, balancing between producing enough oil to satisfy global energy needs and paying shareholders big dividends, according to energy experts. That’s unlikely to change soon. “We see no change to the intermediate term drilling path for oil set by the fundamentals,” Lloyd Byrne, equity analyst at Jefferies, said in a recent research report. Darren Woods, CEO of ExxonMobil, the largest US oil and gas company, is also skeptical of Trump’s plan. “I’m not sure how ‘drill, baby, drill’ translates into policy,” he told CNBC after its latest results… “Nobody’s got crazy plans to be drilling at accelerated rates,” Peter McNally, an analyst at Third Bridge, a research firm, told the Guardian. “The futures curve doesn’t exactly inspire your typical oil producer in west Texas or Oklahoma to do it.” “…But in reality … a lot of the continued increase in production is going to need to be exported,” Rob Thummel, senior portfolio manager at Tortoise Capital Advisors, told the Guardian.

E&E News: Long delayed Biden rule could shake up offshore oil well cleanups
Heather Richards, 11/20/24

“The Biden administration promised to release a new standard for ocean drilling that could help clean up a growing number of old oil and gas wells, but the first-of-a-kind rule has yet to arrive with just two months before President-elect Donald Trump reenters the White House,” E&E News reports. “The fitness to operate standard — intended to weed out companies unable to cover cleanup costs or guilty of safety and environmental infractions — carries huge implications if it’s not rewritten or indefinitely delayed by the Trump administration. A draft rule could land in January as the last major effort of the Biden administration to reshape the nation’s offshore fossil fuel program, in lieu of retiring the program, as President Joe Biden promised during his 2020 presidential campaign. If finalized, the standard could block so-called bad actor companies from buying new drilling leases offshore, giving federal regulators an added way to pressure companies to improve their compliance records and decommission their old wells, pipelines and platforms. The rule “would basically say to the industry, ‘If you don’t meet your safety obligations, your environmental obligations and your decommissioning obligations, then you lose your ability to operate,’” Andrew Hartsig, senior director of the Arctic program at the Ocean Conservancy, told E&E.”

STATE UPDATES

Louisiana Illuminator: Environmental justice leaders across Louisiana steel themselves for a second Trump term
Safura Syed, Verite, 11/19/24

“When environmentalist Roishetta Ozane saw swing states begin to turn red on election night, she said she was heartbroken,” the Louisiana Illuminator reports. “…Ozane is the founder and director of the Vessel Project of Louisiana, an environmental mutual aid group based in Lake Charles. The group provides rebuilding assistance to those who have been affected by hurricanes and campaigns against the fossil fuel industry, which dominates large parts of the region and poses risks to residents through ongoing emissions and, periodically, catastrophic accidents. On the day after the election, Ozane even thought about quitting her work as an environmental advocate as she remembered Trump’s first term. Sharon Lavigne, the founder of environmental justice group Rise St. James, told the Illuminator that the election was a setback. She told the Illuminator that clean air and water won’t be a priority for the administration, and is concerned about Trump’s pro-fossil fuel stance… “In the coming months, Ozane told the Illuminator she will organize and strategize to try to get the Biden administration to fulfill some of her environmental protection goals. Ozane and other Louisiana environmentalists are poised to increase community outreach and form networks that will help them protect themselves, with or without support from the federal government.”

Energy Intelligence Group: Enbridge Takes Stake in Louisiana CCS Project
Caroline Evans, 11/19/24

“Canadian midstream giant Enbridge has taken a 45% stake in carbon capture and storage (CCS) specialist OnStream CO2, which is developing a planned 250 million ton carbon storage project in state waters off Cameron Parish, Louisiana,” Energy Intelligence Group reports.

WRIC: Chesterfield community group files appeal against proposed natural gas plant
Ryan Nadeau, 11/18/24

“A Chesterfield County community group has filed an appeal with the county to challenge Dominion Energy’s proposed natural gas plant and the permitting process behind it,” WRIC reports. “In a press release issued on Monday, Nov. 18, Friends of Chesterfield announced it filed a petition with the county’s Board of Zoning Appeals to “[challenge] the county’s inaction regarding Dominion Energy’s plans to build a 1000-megawatt methane gas plant near Dutch Gap.” This community group has been pushing back against this proposal for months, arguing — among several other concerns — that this proposed Chesterfield Energy Reliability Center (CERC) would be harmful to community health. “My family has endured decades of coal dust and toxic air pollution from Dominion’s old coal plant — we deserve a break,” said Duane Brankley, a co-appellant and a county resident who lives near the proposed site, in the release. “Building a new gas plant will put thousands of families and children at risk of breathing toxic air for another 40 years.” “…At its People’s Hearing, Friends of Chesterfield collected testimonies that it said will be submitted to both the county and the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). The DEQ is currently reviewing an air pollution permit for the proposed gas plant as of the time of reporting.”

OK Energy Today: Colorado Likely To Be Among States To Fight Trump’s “Drill Baby Drill” Effort 
11/18/24

“Oklahoma will likely not be among those states balking at President-elect Trump’s vow to adopt a ‘drill baby drill’ theme under his administration,” OK Energy Today reports. “After all, it is an oil and gas state. It’s a different story in Colorado where there is all likelihood the state will drag its feet or fight his administration’s energy plans, according to a report by the Center for Western Priorities. The state of Colorado has adopted the same greenhouse gas reduction targets to combat climate change as those the United States government agreed to as part of the internationally-backed Paris climate agreement signed in 2015. This includes an ambitious goal of cutting 50 percent of carbon dioxide emissions across Colorado’s economy by 2050 from a baseline set in 2005. However, President-elect Donald Trump’s vows to once again withdraw the United States from the Paris climate pact and to ‘drill baby, drill’ on federal lands could make Colorado’s progress toward reaching those targets more difficult.”

KFXL: Nebraska Public Power District study projects major economic impacts from new plant
Emma Leek, 11/18/24

“The Nebraska Public Power District conducted an economic study about a proposed $5 billion plant in Phelps County, which could transform the local economy,” KFXL reports. “DG Fuels, a company that makes sustainable aviation fuel from corn stover, announced a five billion dollar Phelps County location earlier this year. The project is still in the beginning stages and many details are not clear, but the economic study from the NPPD suggests millions in impacts… “The future location of the plant has yet to be announced, although the expected completion date is around 2030. “Our team is working diligently to complete all of the necessary steps before we move into the next phase of the project, which will begin in early 2025,” Tillery told KXFL. The Phelps County Development Corporation also told KXFL they will begin talking to interested farmers about contracts and grower agreements as early as December, as well as hold a public town hall.”

KTUL: Local fears grow as oil spill video circulates, questioning water safety
Rian Stockett, 11/18/24

“Concerns from Okemah residents about their drinking water quality after photos of an oil spill in Okemah Lake circulated online,” KTUL reports. “In Okema’s Neighborhood Watch, there is an oil spill somebody had posted in the lake,” Judith Hicks Tilley, an Okemah resident, told KTUL.”NewsChannel 8 spoke with Nathan Tilley and his wife Judith Hicks Tilley, Okemah residents who reached out to NewsChannel 8, saying they’re worried about Okemah’s source of drinking water. This is after a video of Okemah Lake was posted online with a caption saying, “Looks like the oil spill made its way to the lake”. “They say that that’s the drinking supply, you know?” Tilley told KTUL… “Lesley referred NewsChannel 8 to the Environmental Protection Agency which is handling the situation, who also declined to interview, but sent us a statement saying, that this spill is from a discharge of crude oil from an aboveground storage tank at Lunar Investments last week. They say an unknown amount entered an unnamed creek that flows into another unnamed creek. They estimated the total release to be approximately 100 barrels of crude oil, saying an estimated 60 to 80 barrels entered the creeks.”

EXTRACTION

Carbon Herald: EU Approves First Official Certification Framework For Carbon Removals
Sasha Ranevska, 11/20/24

“This week, the EU Council made history by greenlighting a regulation that enables the establishment of the first official EU-level certification framework for permanent carbon removal, carbon farming, and CO2 storage in products,” the Carbon Herald reports. “The landmark announcement gives way to a broader plan that will see the introduction of an elaborate certification framework for carbon removals and soil emission reductions into EU legislation. With this decision, the EU sets in motion the implementation of carbon removals in its strategy for becoming climate neutral by 2050… “To qualify for certification, projects must provide long-term carbon storage, quantified net CO2 removal, or net soil emission reduction, be additional in the sense that their reach extends beyond statutory requirements at the level of an individual operator, where the certification will grant them financial viability, all while making sure no harm is done to the environment and co-benefits cover one or more sustainability goals. Additionally, projects will need to be verified by third-party certification entities to be eligible for certification under this EU framework.”

Reuters: Canadian regulator orders halt to Sunshine Oilsands operations
11/19/24

“A Canadian regulator has ordered Sunshine Oilsands to suspend its operations, including wells, facilities and pipelines, in northern Alberta’s oil sands region due to continuous non-compliance with environmental and public safety rules,” Reuters reports. “The Nov. 14 order from the Alberta Energy Regulator (AER) also demanded that Sunshine Oilsands post a security deposit of C$6,091,318 ($4.36 million) to offset the estimated cost of abandoning or reclaiming a well or facility.”

Journal of Petroleum Technology: New Joint Venture Targets US Carbon Sequestration and Enhanced Oil Recovery Projects
11/19/24

“Energy consulting company GLJ and geoscience and engineering firm Energy Fuse Group have announced the formation of a joint venture aimed at project implementation with engineering and geosciences products and services for carbon sequestration and enhanced oil recovery projects across the United States,” the Journal of Petroleum Technology reports. This partnership aims to leverage the expertise of both companies in project management, operational design, and subsurface and commercial evaluations to facilitate effective CO2 storage solutions in compliance with evolving state and federal regulations. “We believe this joint venture is well-positioned to provide the highest caliber of intelligence to the US carbon sequestration market,” said Alan Withey, executive vice president and CFO at GLJ. “With each state crafting its own procedures around CO2 storage applications, our expertise in subsurface evaluation allows us to offer critical guidance and support for companies wanting to engage in carbon sequestration activities and to states looking for practices to craft their individual legislation using the latest techniques and information available. This partnership brings together two companies with a shared vision to drive progress in carbon sequestration and enhanced oil recovery.” With carbon capture and storage becoming a crucial part of the global effort to mitigate climate change, this joint venture aligns with the US focus on integrating carbon sequestration activities into state legal frameworks.”

E&E News: Don’t Count On Trees To Stop Global Warming, Scientists Say 
Chelsea Harvey, 11/19/24

“Countries around the world have turned to natural carbon sinks such as forests and wetlands to help them achieve their climate targets,” E&E News reports. “The thinking is that these landscapes naturally soak up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and so can cancel out ongoing emissions from fossil fuels. But that kind of approach is a mistake, say some of the world’s leading scientists in a new study. And it could jeopardize the Paris Agreement’s vulnerable climate goals. Because carbon dioxide lingers in the atmosphere for decades, forests and other natural carbon sinks are still absorbing emissions released by humans years ago. And that carbon doesn’t stay in the ground forever, either. It becomes part of the Earth’s natural carbon cycle, eventually escaping back into the atmosphere when the trees die before eventually being reabsorbed again by some other natural landscape. It’s all part of a giant natural equilibrium. But the system only stays in balance as long as emissions from human sources wind down to zero. If humans depend on natural carbon sinks to balance out ongoing future emissions, the world will just keep on warming.” 

OPINION

Corridor Business Journal: Editorial: South Dakota pipeline law fails
Editorial, 11/19/24

“We were pleased to learn that the proposed carbon dioxide pipeline through wide areas of the Midwest was dealt a serious blow when South Dakota voters rejected a law passed earlier this year to ease the path of that pipeline’s construction,” the Corridor Business Journal Editorial Board writes. “Had the law remained intact, Summit Carbon Solutions, an Iowa-based company planning to build the largest carbon sequestration pipeline network in the U.S., and other developers would have been able to supersede all local and county rules, regulations and ordinances that would restrict where they can build a permitted pipeline, according to multiple news articles… “This pipeline is a blatant money grab for green-energy related monies and tax credits from the federal government under the guise of trying to preserve the ethanol industry. “South Dakota voters have spoken: South Dakota is not for sale,” said landowner Ed Fischbach in a statement. “Summit and its big-moneyed partners thought they could buy the votes as easily as they bought the Legislature. They outspent us by over tenfold, but voters saw through their lies.” “…To be clear, we aren’t necessarily opposed to the use of pipelines, but we are opposed to private companies acquiring private land through eminent domain, which had been approved by the Iowa Utilities Commission earlier this year. That is a reckless overreach that has no place in the Midwest or across the U.S. The point should be made, however, that lawmakers and policymakers in states like Iowa who push through ill-advised policies that compromise property rights may ultimately get rejected like the law in South Dakota.”

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: DNR did diligent review of Enbridge Line 5 project. Union workers ready for job.
Corey Gall, president, Wisconsin Pipe Trades Association, 11/19/24

“The permits recently issued by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources demonstrate what the Enbridge Line 5 relocation project supporters have been saying for a while — the project meets our state’s environmental standards and will be constructed in a manner that will reduce environmental impact as much as possible (“DNR approves Line 5 permits,” Nov. 16),” Corey Gall writes for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “…Not only does the Line 5 relocation follow our state’s environmental laws, but it will be constructed by union workers trained right here in our backyard… “Now that the DNR has confirmed this project is safe for the environment, it’s time to let our state’s trades men and women get the Line 5 relocation built and keep this critical piece of energy infrastructure operational.”

Vail Daily: Writers On The Range: Public Land Protectors Are Ready For A Fight 
Jennifer Rokala is the executive director of Center for Western Priorities, a nonpartisan public lands advocacy group, 11/18/24

“President Donald Trump’s first term was a disaster for America’s public lands. While the prospects for his second term are even more bleak, Westerners across the political spectrum — even those who voted for Trump — stand ready to oppose attempts to sell off America’s public lands to the highest bidder,” Jennifer Rokala writes for the Vail Daily. “As for Trump’s pick for interior secretary, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum: If Burgum tries to turn America’s public lands into an even bigger cash cow for the oil and gas industry, or tries to shrink America’s parks and national monuments, he’ll quickly discover he’s on the wrong side of history. Public lands have strong bipartisan support in the West. The annual Conservation in the West Poll, last released by the Colorado College State of the Rockies Project in February 2024, found that nearly three-quarters of voters — including Republicans — want to protect clean water, air quality and wildlife habitats, while providing opportunities to visit and recreate on public lands. That’s compared to just one-quarter of voters who prefer maximizing the use of public lands available for drilling and mining. According to the poll, which surveyed voters in Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming — 80% of Westerners support the national goal of conserving 30% of land and waters in America by 2030… Our partners will work in Congress to stop bad policies and projects from going forward. We are ready to take action in the courts and in the streets. And we’re not waiting until Inauguration Day to start.”

Santa Fe New Mexican: Don’t rely just on Permian liquified natural gas for exports
Jason Sandel is chairman of the Western States and Tribal Energy Initiative, 11/16/24

“Recent media speculation suggests Mexico’s burgeoning liquefied natural gas export industry, including projects like Energia Costa Azul, will rely exclusively on Permian Basin gas. If that speculation is correct, it would be a huge mistake,” Jason Sandel writes for the Santa Fe New Mexican. “As a New Mexican deeply invested in our state’s energy landscape and chairman of the Western States and Tribal Nations Energy Initiative, the sole-sourcing of Permian gas would forfeit a critical opportunity to benefit tribal nations and marginalized energy communities, strengthen energy security and make a lasting contribution to the evolution of our energy systems… “Meanwhile, the Rockies basins are producing natural gas that is among the cleanest in the world, under strict regulations that have the industry’s buy-in. While the parts of the Permian routinely flare off gas, New Mexico’s operators may only do so under specific conditions, which limits that practice… “There has been some talk in commercial circles questioning whether the San Juan Basin can meet long-term LNG needs on both a commercial and physical basis. I am here to tell you that we can… “As we build a cleaner energy landscape, we must push to the fore New Mexico’s leadership in producing some of the world’s cleanest natural gas, and ensure it gets to markets to create a more resilient, prosperous and sustainable future for all New Mexicans.”

Heatmap: Biden’s Climate Law Can’t Die. Wall Street Loves It Too Much.
Ilmi Granoff, 11/18/24

“The optimistic case for the Inflation Reduction Act — even under a Trump presidency, even with a Republican trifecta in Washington — rests on a “public investment first” view of climate policy. Public investment in the clean energy economy is not merely a second-best policy option to carbon pricing or other punitive regulations, the argument goes, but instead the first-best option in the marathon of politically durable decarbonization,” Ilmi Granoff writes for Heatmap. “I am an outspoken proponent of this view… “The first major sign that public investment under the IRA might prove durable came in August, when a group of 18 House Republicans wrote to Speaker Mike Johnson in support of the clean energy tax credits that are the cornerstone of the legislation, emphasizing the job creation benefits of the policy… “Let’s call that the optimist’s view. My view, which one might call the “cynical optimist’s,” is that politicians — red or blue — are often more responsive to the concentrated interests and influence of lobbyists and donors than the electorate… “Reformulating the interests of capital through public investment is a pragmatic and necessary antidote to the inertia of the incumbent fossil fuel industry… “Whatever the fate of the IRA come January, the longer the benefits flow — to communities and to capitalists — the more difficult it will be to roll back the tide.”